How to Make Compartments in a Chest Freezer

A chest freezer is a valuable appliance for storing surplus food or stocking up for winter. However, the layout of a chest freezer, a cavernous space where old items fall to the bottom, can make it difficult to keep track of the food you have on hand. You can better utilize the space in your chest freezer by creating compartments to divide and organize your frozen foods, and using stackable baskets that you can easily rotate so the items you want to use first are most accessible.

Things You'll Need

Tape measure

Plywood or thin plastic sheets

Stackable baskets

How to Make Compartments in a Chest Freezer

Assess the size of your freezer and the volume and shape of the items you will store in it. Consider whether you always plan to use your freezer for the same purpose, or whether you anticipate your storage needs changing over time.

Measure your freezer from front to back and from side to side. Make a drawing of the compartments you want to create, based on these measurements and your assessment of your storage needs.

Cut sheets of plywood or thin plastic to divide your freezer from front to back. They should fit snugly and go almost up to the top, allowing room for the freezer to closer. Cut as many sheets as you need to divide your chest freezer into the number of compartments you want to create.

Purchase, find, or build baskets that will fit in the compartments you have created, and stack neatly on top of one another. They should be made of thin, lightweight material to take up minimal space and allow you to lift and rearrange them without hurting your back.